To: COBIRDS by Kay Niyo, for Chris Blakeslee who is away
D.F.O. Monthly Meeting
Scott Rashid and Small Mountain Owls
Note day & date change!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Note meeting location change!
DMNS Planetarium (use west doors)
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
7:30 p.m.
What DFO birder doesn't love owls? We love hearing and seeing Great Horned
Owls, Long and Short-eared Owls, Barn and Burrowing Owls; owls hunting,
hooting, nesting or resting. We love their silent flight, their blinking
yellow or black eyes when they are discovered roosting on a sunny summer
day, their expertly camouflaged nests, and their fluffy little owlets.
We think of these efficient predators as creatures of the night, and most of
Colorado's owls are, though a portion of the world's 200+ species of owls
are crepuscular or diurnal. North America is home to 19 species of owls,
and as Scott Rashid writes, "10...are considered either medium or large
owls, with the largest being more than two feet from head to tail. The rest
are considered small, with the smallest being the size of a bluebird."
The large owls are amazing, but the small mountain owls are even more
wonderful in the eyes of many birders. Colorado is home to the tiny
Flammulated Owl, one of Colorado's most common migratory birds of prey in
some areas; the aggressive predator the Northern Pygmy-Owl; the very
approachable Northern Saw-whet Owl; and finally the higher altitude Boreal
Owl. Many owl encounters are pure serendipity, but the hope of experiencing
small owls in the wild can cause otherwise sane birders to rush off into the
veil of darkness, stumbling over fallen tree trunks and downed branches, or
to plow through deep snow up steep hillsides in hopes of catching a glimpse
of one of these magical little birds.
Scott Rashid fell under their spell with his first sighting of a Great
Horned Owl over 25 years ago. He moved to Colorado in 1989 and began
banding, photographing, and studying birds with a passion. He has worked on
species as diverse as rosy finches, Band-tailed Pigeons, Broad-tailed
Hummingbirds, American Kestrels, Northern Goshawks and small owls. Shortly
after his arrival in Colorado he started assisting a researcher with his
work on Boreal Owls and a number of other native bird species. This led
Scott to undertake his own study of Northern Pygmy Owls. It has grown from
there.
In 2002 he illustrated Scott Roederer's book Birding Rocky Mountain National
Park. His illustration of the Wilson's Snipe graces the cover of the Wilson
Journal of Ornithology. When painting hawks and owls, Scott works primarily
in watercolor, and numerous of his works of art are found in private
collections throughout North American and Europe.
Scott lives in Estes Park where he has maintained a banding station at the
YMCA of the Rockies since 1997. He focuses much of his work on the birds in
and around Rocky Mountain National Park, and has also been a bird
rehabilitator.
His most recent work is his book Small Mountain Owls which was published in
2009 by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Here he writes about the lives and
distributions of Flammulated, Pygmy, Saw-whet, and Boreal Owls. He covers
their anatomy, vocalizations, courtship and nesting behavior, egg laying,
hunting habits, diets, longevity, and much more. The book is liberally
illustrated with his own photographs and paintings. For the benefit and
enjoyment of the DFO audience, Scott will share stories of his work with
owls from his 25+ years in the field, and hopefully he will share some
secrets for finding these elusive little creatures.
Show up at the October DFO meeting with your copy of Small Mountain Owls
and Lynn Willcockson will see to it that you get your book autographed by
Scott (or by Lynn) that night.
NOTE: Scott will have books and cards to sell. Sales would be either cash
or check. We do not have capabilities for credit cards. And he will be
glad to sign books members have already purchased so - bring them.
Future Meetings
November 22, 2010
Kevin Cook -- Falcons and Parrots: Newly Discovered Peculiarities in
the Birds' Family Tree
December 2010
NO DFO MEETING. Please plan to participate in the Denver Christmas
Count and/or as many of the other Christmas Bird Counts around the state as
you can!
Directions
The Denver Field Ornithologists monthly meetings are held in Ricketson
Auditorium (THE PLANETARIUM THIS MONTH!) at the Denver Museum of Nature and
Science in City Park. These meetings are free and open to the public and
occur on the 4th Monday of each month August through April (except
December). Park on the north side of the Museum and walk around and enter
through the Museum's west door. Plan to arrive by 7:15 p.m.; DOORS OPEN BY
7:00 AND ARE LOCKED AT 7:30 P.M. If late, you can enter through the
security/volunteer door, but this does create problems for our hosts at the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Submitted by Chris A. Blakeslee - DFO Board Member
Centennial, Colorado
[email protected]
Kayleen A. Niyo, Ph.D.
Niyo Scientific Communications
Kay Niyo Photography
<mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
<http://www.KayNiyo.com> www.KayNiyo.com
______________________________
5651 Garnet Street
Golden, CO 80403
Phone: (303) 679-6646
Fax: (866) 849-8013
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